CT Green News

Auggie V's Connecticut Green Blog

"Welcome to the greenest blog in Connecticut. Here you'll read about a person, place or thing that has a connection to green building and green business. Every now and then I might stray and discuss something outside our 500 mile sustainable region and it might just be about green business or green lifestyles but it will leave you with something to think about and hopefully make your day a little greener."

-Augustus "Auggie" Victorious

January 30, 2007

Behind the Scenes, NFL Greens Super Bowl XLI

Though the green guys from Philly got a lot further than I thought, they won’t be at the Super Bowl this Sunday. But green is high on the list of priorities for the NFL when it comes to planning this massive event. Like so many other major sporting events this past year such as the Indy 500, the World Cup matches in Germany and the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, it’s now the NFL’s Super Bowl turn to show its green endeavors. And as most of you know, I love a good eco-friendly sports story.

For the last several years, of the 3 ½ major sports (Is ice hockey still a major sport?) the NFL has been one of the greenest professional leagues in the United States. The initiatives of the Super Bowl XLI Environmental Program reflect the league’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The program works with the host city’s planning committee and other local, state and federal partners to lessen the impact on the local and global environment.

These initiatives include:

Comprehensive solid waste management projects at major NFL event facilities. This project diverts waste from local landfills through recycling and reuse of potential waste materials. Targeted sites include Dolphin Stadium, the NFL Experience Football Theme Park, and the Super Bowl XLI Media Center.

Collection and donation of extra prepared food from Super Bowl events in partnership with Daily Bread Food Bank, the local affiliate of Second Harvest. The NFL works with local organizations to maximize the recovery and distribution of prepared food from the many Super Bowl events where food is served.

Recovery and donation of leftover decorative materials, building materials, office supplies and other reusable items to local nonprofit organizations. Thousands of items are available following the Super Bowl. Some are appropriate for reuse while others are used by local nonprofits as fundraising auction items.

The Super Kids-Super Sharing Sports Equipment and Book Donation project developed in partnership with the Miami Dolphins, the Boys and Girls Clubs and dozens of schools in South Florida. Students will bring usable items to their schools in early January. All these items will then be collected and, through the regional Boys and Girls Clubs, made available to underserved children throughout the area.

For the first time, the NFL is incorporating "green energy" offsets at the Super Bowl host stadium. Greenhouse gas emissions created by energy usage at Dolphin Stadium, will be offset by renewable energy credits supplied by Sterling Planet.

The "Carbon Neutral" initiative supports the planting of hundreds of tree seedling to offset the greenhouse gas emissions produced by Super Bowl events. This project, begun at Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, is the NFL's way to respond to the long-term climate problems associated with greenhouse gas production. In partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a variety of other research partners, the NFL has determined the amount of carbon dioxide produced by Super Bowl related activities and the number and type of trees needed to absorb that amount of carbon dioxide. Partners include the City of Miami Mayor' Office; Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties; TREEmendous Miami, State of Florida Forestry Division, the National Arbor Day Foundation, and the United States Forest Service.
The 288 T-shirts and caps made for the team that does not win will be shipped Monday morning to a warehouse in Sewickley, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where they will become property of World Vision, a relief organization that will package the clothing in wooden boxes and send it to a developing nation, usually in Africa. This way, the N.F.L. can help one of its charities and avoid traumatizing one of its teams. “Where these items go, the people don’t have electricity or running water,” said Jeff Fields, a corporate relations officer for World Vision. “They wouldn’t know who won the Super Bowl. They wouldn’t even know about football.”

I will be rooting for Peyton Manning…..and I’ll also be rooting for the Bears considering I’m an NFC kind of guy. And I hope that with six hours of pre-game coverage, that CBS might find the green angle compelling and tell the story. It could be the Super Bowl’s Inconvenient Truth. Jack Groh, program director of NFL's Environmental Program, and a guy Al Gore would be proud of, stated in a Forbes Magazine article two weeks ago, "Carbon mitigation: that to me is where the excitement, the challenge and the opportunity are.”

Sources:
http://www.superbowl.com/
http://www.forbes.com/

January 25, 2007

Auggie V's January Green Tidbits

Green gambling: A report from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) concludes that Nevada is on-track to produce over 1000 MW of geothermal power, quadrupling its current geothermal output over the next 3 to 5 years. This level of geothermal production would meet roughly 25% of the state's total power needs.
Source: SustainableBusiness.com

Golf and green roofs: Atop Houston's Phoenix Tower, is a nine-hole putting green designed by renowned golfer Jack Nicklaus' design firm.
Source: Wall Street Journal

Corn is cash: America's biodiesel industry will add $24 billion to the U.S. economy between 2005 and 2015, according to a study by the National Biodiesel Board. The figure foresees biodiesel growth reaching 650 million gallons of annual production by 2015.
Source: GreenBiz.com

Your never too young to be green: The ACE/CT student/mentor team here in the greater Hartford area is assisting a village in Dalivé in the South Tongu District, Volta Region of Ghana. With the help of professionals, the students have developed a spec plan to build a "green" nursery and kindergarten classroom.
Source: 2006 CTGreen9

Green is green: The Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets has awarded its first research grants, totaling more than $2.3 million, to fund programs focused on finding market-based solutions to climate change.
Source: GreenBiz.com

I’m a green MAC, I’m a green PC: Rapidly growing interest in environmentally friendly "green" computers has resulted in more than 300 computers being registered with EPEAT, the green computer standard released in July. Nine manufacturers currently participate in the program.
Source: GreenBiz.com

The wind cries Mary: Britain may soon have the world’s largest offshore wind farm 18 km off the north coast of Kent, in south-east England. With 271 turbines, the 1000 MW London Array will produce enough power for 750,000 homes.
Source: The Green Consumer Guide

Green perk: Swiss Re is supporting investments and purchases made by employees that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. The new "COYou2 reduce and gain" program is part of Swiss Re's commitments supporting the Clinton Global Initiative.
Source: GreenBiz.com

Bad year for skiers: Climate scientists have predicted that with global warming and the return of the El Niño weather pattern, 2007 will be even warmer than 2006, or any previous year in the past century.
Source: theweekmagazine.com

Oprah's green groove: The Oprah Winfrey Show is looking for families who are concerned about global warming, but want to be a part of the solution, not the problem. Her Web site says if they like your story, you'll be asked to go on her show.
Source: igreenbuild.com

January 22, 2007

Company Green Teams Work If Done Right

Last week, a post appeared on GreenBiz.com which discussed a study, done recently in the UK, regarding employee’s attitudes toward participating in office initiatives that green a company’s infrastructure. The study was done by the independent research firm, Logicalis. Lack of incentive and leadership from bosses were two top reasons that employees didn’t buy into a company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

In the report employees felt that employers basically talked it but didn’t walk it. Of the 1,000 employees more than half said their employer could do a better job of becoming engaged in the process. Also, about 62% said their employer should offer some sort of incentive for being green in the workplace. I’m thinking a pay check is a pretty good incentive but if I was asking, how about a half day off for turning off my computer at night! Yea, they’d be laughing.

I work for a firm that has a team approach to various inter-office processes. Our leadership has also started to incorporate the triple bottom line into our operation and culture. So recently our operations committee decided to establish an office green team. I was asked to be on the team along with other co-workers from various departments.

To date the team has met several times to discuss strategy and action steps and begin the first step of search and discovery. We have also discussed benchmarking paper use, recycling and re-use efforts, energy use and toner cartridge costs. I’m trying to talk them into a worm composter in the kitchens for food waste but their not buying in. We’ve also discussed some best green practices in the workplace.

Contrary to the UK report, our team does have buy in from our senior management team and Tony B., our vice president of administration is a team leader who is on the cusp of becoming a corporate sustainability junkie. So, not only do we have management buy in but we have management enthusiasm. And from what I understand we also have a small budget to work with. Our incentive is that we can make a difference in the company’s bottom line and at the end of the year; our employee bonus is enhanced because we saved money. We also get to work on a project that really has meaning and can carry over into our personal lives as well.

January 19, 2007

Helping a Village, Half a World Away

This week we announced the 2006 CTGreen9. While I like all of the stories and they all have a little different twist, one of my favorites is one about an ACE/CT student/mentor team here in the greater Hartford area that is assisting a village in Dalivé in the South Tongu District, Volta Region of Ghana. With the help of professionals, the students have developed a plan on spec to build a nursery and kindergarten classroom. Not only have they greened the plan, the students are also learning about how to help others. This is truly a sustainable project. The nomination was made by BVH Integrated Services in Bloomfield.

This project incorporates several green building techniques. As the nomination points out, the team designed the 3- room, open-windowed classroom building with no ceilings and a large roof overhang allows built-up heat to escape naturally, its orientation takes advantage of prevailing breezes, and use of locally available construction materials all garner LEED points. The nomination also goes on to explain that students considered collecting rainwater to both help cool the school and provide potable water for community use. Having learned that rainwater from an existing cistern was not used, the concept was abandoned. The villagers consider walking to the nearby river and filling their jugs to be social time they’re not willing to give up for the sake of “convenience.”

This project will be the focus of an evening program on January 31 from 5-7 pm at the University of Hartford Wilde Auditorium. The public is invited to attend the student presentations and it’s free of charge; but don’t let that stop you from making a donation to ACE/CT. If you’d like to attend, ACE/CT is trying to keep a headcount. Contact Maria A. Loitz, President of the ACE Mentor Program of Connecticut, at (860) 286-9171 or marial@bvhis.com.

Auggie's Note: I'm planning on going.

January 16, 2007

Nine Cool Green Stories

Yesterday, AuctorVerno, LLC and buildingctgreen.com announced the 2006 CTGreen9. This green recognition showcase is a collection of nine Connecticut based stories about a person, place or thing that touches on sustainability. The nominations came from visitors and friends of buildingctgreen.com.

The 2006 CTGreen9 is a great collection of different aspects of Connecticut’s economy. The nominees represent manufacturing, workforce development and education, transportation, green buildings and product design and innovation. The stories range from a manufacturer who offset enough of electric usage with wind energy to qualify the town it’s based in for a free solar panel from CTCleanEnergy Options, to a team of students learning from professional about sustainable design and helping a village, half way around the world.

All of these stories are examples of corporations, educational initiatives and institutions, and NGOs who are committed to environmental stewardship and social responsibility in Connecticut and in some cases elsewhere. To read all of the 2006 CTGreen9 stories, click here>>

January 12, 2007

Geothermal Project Enhances Bridgeport’s Image and Creates Workforce Affordable Housing

Bridgeport is getting a little hipper. Several buildings in the downtown area that have been renovated by Urban Green Builders will be completed soon and will be the start of a massive revitalization project in this historic city. The downtown redevelopment plan for the old Citytrust and Golden Hill Street buildings has helped shed Bridgeport’s image as an old manufacturing town whose glory days are over. (A scandal involving the ex-mayor doesn’t help the image much either.) But now Bridgeport has an economic development project that will make The Park City’s residents proud again.

The mixed use project will have street level retail, workforce affordable residential units and commercial tenants. The residential piece will include 117 units in the former Citytrust complex, 23 units in the nearby Arcade building and 36 units at 144 Golden Hill St. The buildings will use geo-thermal wells to heat and cool the buildings. At Citytrust, six wells were drilled up to 1,800 feet deep to tap into the Earth's energy. Similar wells are being drilled at the Arcade and 144 Golden Hill St.

"That far in the ground there's a consistent temperature of 60 degrees," said Eric Anderson of New York City-based Urban Green Builders, who explained that using geo-thermal wells will reduce his exposure to escalating energy prices on the open market.

Rental properties will be in the $600 to $1,500 range and will be workforce affordable which is the new term that is being used to better define this housing market. As Anderson points out, “One of the biggest deficits in Connecticut is the lack of workforce housing," explaining he hopes the new residences will become home to police officers, bus drivers, secretaries and factory workers.

The project has some great aspects to it that include renovation of the once famous Arcade which was a big shopping mall/hotel back in the day. The place was close to being demolished before Urban Green Builders saved it. Also, keep in mind this is just the first phase of what will be the renovation of 20 historic buildings in the downtown core area. Many might look at Bridgeport differently now, especially if your running from the high housing costs of lower Fairfield County.

Source: Hometown Publications 2007

Auggie V’s Notes: Once again, don’t forget that Monday, January 15, buildingctgreen.com will announce the 2006 CTGreen9 on the front page.

January 9, 2007

Ford Recognizes Connecticut Firm’s Green Efforts

An old friend of mine sent me a link to the December issue of Ford Motor Company's eNewsletter. The edition included a story about W&M Construction Company in Stamford Connecticut and the firm’s commitment to changing all of its fleet of construction vehicles to Hybrids. The company has gotten the sustainability bug in large part due to some LEED projects the firm got involved with recently.

The article included comments from a Ford representative who speculated that more and more construction firms are greening there fleets to not only save on fuel prices but to be seen as the good corporate citizens. “Many fleet customers are looking to reduce fuel costs, and hybrids have proven to do that,” says Koss. “There’s also been a renewed emphasis on building a positive environmental image for companies and many have used alternative fuel vehicles as a way to demonstrate their environmental commitment.”

But unlike most companies who test a couple of cars at first, W&M is changing its entire fleet at once. Not only is it purchasing new Ford Hybrids, it is retrofitting all of its Dodge vehicles as well. As W&M Vice Chairman Anthony E. Malkin says, “The Escape is an American product made by an American company that’s putting its name behind a very advanced and very competitive product. We’re proud to put our company name on the side of this vehicle.”

It’s nice to see Ford recognize a Connecticut company for being innovative in greening their operation and supply chain. I’m sure that more companies in the Nutmeg state will follow W&M’s lead.

Source: media.ford.com

Auggie V’s Notes: Thanks Larry for the info…Don’t forget that next Monday, January 15, buildingctgreen.com will announce the 2006 CTGreen9.

January 4, 2007

Golden Bear Knows Green

Those of you, who know me, know that golf is my yoga. And living in Connecticut, I can’t really play these days due to the weather. So I have no outlet for my kharma. But it has been unseasonably warm these days and some courses are still open. In fact, today it’s supposed to be over 50 degrees and my two friends Steve and Chris begged me to play with them. I couldn’t, it’s still a little too cold for the chicken man and I got work. So if I can’t play, I’ll just blog about it instead. Heck, I managed to get golf into my last blog which was about Prides Corner Farm. Who by the way have a one hole chipping green.

Anyhow, why am I discussing golf? Because as all of you know not only do I like golf, I also like eco-sports stories and this one just happens to involve golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.

My main man, Three Down Dan, hooked me up with a story that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week about Jack Nicklaus’ golf course management company installing a putting green on the Phoenix Tower’s green roof-top in Houston. The installation is considered the first in the U.S. for a commercial building.

A representative of the building’s property management company stated in the article that they did it as a marketing strategy. They hope that with the addition of the putting green, corporate America’s love for golf and an increase in companies embracing green (pun intended) practices, that it gives them an edge in the highly competitive commercial real estate market in Houston. Tenants and their guests are allowed to play the nine hole course for free and I’m guessing that shouting fore doesn’t work. More like, “Watch out below!”

Source: Wall Street Journal

January 2, 2007

It’s Not Just About the Crop At This Farm
Prides Corner Farms in Lebanon embraces triple bottom line.

Farms have played a key role in Connecticut’s economy dating back to the time the state was first settled in the 1600s. The land here is good for growing and our workforce has always been and remains, skilled and hard working. Connecticut has lots of farms. However, I’ve never spent a great deal of time on farms. I have always passed them on the road, visited them with my nieces and my mind set regarding agri-business in general is stuck in Kansas with Dorothy. But this past weekend my mind-set changed. I was a guest at Prides Corner Farms (PCF) in Lebanon, CT and was truly amazed (In a good way!) at the operation of New England’s largest wholesaler of ornamental plant material.

On Saturday morning, as I approached PCF’s 450 acre ornamental plant farm, I paused - had it snowed last night? All you see on a hill where part of the farm sits are blankets of white. As you get closer, you realize it’s the wrapping on all the farm’s “convertible” green houses, 70 miles of them! It’s white polyurethane, the kind you see boats wrapped in when they’re new or in storage. While it’s an impressive site to see, how green could it be? My question would soon be answered during the tour.

I met Jim Costello of PCF at the main gate on Waterman Road. Jim was my tour guide. Jim welcomed me and told me a little bit about the farm. It was established in 1979 by Peter Sellew and today is run by his son, Mark. It started out as a hydroponic tomato farm but Peter realized there was no market for this specially grown tomato. He saw that nursery stock was a growing industry and when Mark came home from college, he drove a vision that has seen the farm grow to become one of the largest employers in Eastern Connecticut.

As the tour continued, Jim explained to me that PCF provides the most diversified selection of container grown plant material in the northeast including woody shrubs, ornamental trees, perennials, ornamental grasses, fruit plants, and roses. These plants are sent daily from March through December to an area that stretches from northern Maine to as far south as mid-Virginia and as far west as Pittsburgh and to every point in between. The farm has employs 300 full time workers. The number is based on seasonal adjustments. I was really impressed at this point in the tour and Jim and I started to discuss the farm and sustainability.

Social Responsible Measures

Through the Sara’s Superb Herbs™ program the company has committed to contributing 50 cents for every purchase of the herb to Easter Seals Camp Hemlocks and the work they do to provide an outdoor recreation for experience for physically challednged children and adults. PCF has raised nearly $200,000 since the program started in 2000.

Through the American Beauties brand, PCF will donate $.25, $.50, or $1.00 to the National Wildlife Foundation, depending on the container size you order.

The farm industry has long benefited from the influx of immigrant workers. PCF has taken a position and it’s leadership has recommended that communities open the dialogue and find ways that embrace hard working people who come from south of our borders in much the same way we have historically. The company also warns not to miss judge the value these immigrant workers add to the horticultural industry’s well being.

Environmental Stewardship

Remember the white poly green house covers I mentioned when I approached the farm’s property? Well I asked Jim what happens to the covers. He explained to me that in April, as the weather warms, they’ll cut holes in the poly for fresh air and then the farm has a machine that bales the poly and is sold to a recycler who in turn sells it to a manufacturer who uses it for a new product. I liked that story.

The Farm sits on a hill with two valleys. The valleys have ponds that act as reservoirs. In this business the weather and water are keys to success. The ponds have pumps that supply water to the green houses. The ponds then collect the run-off and they are able to recapture 95% of the used water.

Innovation and Market Share

PCF has a unique business model that incorporates branding on the container of the plants. Their plants stand out when put next to the traditional black or clay container. The company has also found that through partnerships it can add value to retailers looking to enhance their shelf space presence.

PCF is also jumping into the green building industry. Because it has an expertise in horticulture and the building industry is embracing green roofs more and more into their designs, PCF has partnered with LiveRoof®, a green roof system produced by Hortech in Michigan.

As we rapped up the hour long tour, I thanked Jim for a great Tour. We ran into a PCF employee and the two men discussed playing golf this week. I really didn’t picture farmers and golf or playing in 40 degree weather in the same thought, but it didn’t seem to faze them. Jim then leaned to me and said he was a little hesitant to set up the tour today because he thought he’d be playing golf this morning. He added, ”But I got a round in yesterday.” Just for the record, it was 40 degrees on Friday.

The tour ended, we shook hands and I headed out. I thought what a great place and they play golf. Very cool, my mind-set was quite different from when I arrived.

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